The invention relates to a device and method for securing a drop wire having a messenger strand and a support wire to a support structure.
The present invention relates to a device and method for securing and supporting a segment of cable TV cable, usually having a signal carrying or messenger strand and a load-bearing or support wire.
The device, commonly referred to as a drop wire clamp, may be used to accept the segment of cable from a tower or pole to the customer, typically referred to as a drop wire, and support the load of the drop wire onto a support structure.
A variety of patents describe earlier efforts to provide such components. One such device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,293 (Vaser) uses a composite cable having a load carrier element made of a bundle of synthetic fibers, an overhead cable, a protective covering enclosing and uniting the load carrier element and the overhead cable. It further describes an end-loop formed from the load carrier element secured to it by a clamping element.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,212 (Harvey), a fitting secures an overheard conductor. It further describes a fitting comprising a sleeve of malleable metal open at both ends and a termination having a tubular end for securing the fitting. One end of the sleeve is externally threaded and the tubular end of the termination is tapered and internally threaded. The sleeve surrounds the conductor and becomes compression jointed gripping the conductor when the fitting and termination are locked.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,948 (Sachs), a device is described for holding a cable, with a support wire, suspended from a support. The device has an open-ended tubular member to securing the cable and an L-shaped slot captively retaining the support wire.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,439 (Coll), there is disclosed a clamp having a trough and an apertured plate descending from one end of the trough so that the clamp can be suspended from a support. The trough is sized to accept a cable.
Each of these efforts to provide a satisfactory means of securing a drop wire has some inherent limitations. Some of these efforts use a solid tubular element which requires that the drop wire be threaded through the tube. This poses some installation concerns because the drop wire is ordinarily long and has to be supported intermediate its ends in an installation procedure which frequently occurs on a ladder other place of difficult access. One effort to avoid the time consuming and difficult threading process resulted in the Coll patent. However, that system requires that the support wire be wrapped around the trough, which is time consuming and difficult, especially when effected on a ladder or other inaccessible location.
Thus it is an objective of the present invention to provide a drop wire clamp that is inexpensive, reliable, simple to use and easy to install, rapidly and with simplicity. Specifically, the invention relates to a drop wire clamp for supporting a drop wire with an elongated helical spiral, shaped and sized to be threaded about the drop wire, and with a means for securing an end of the support wire to a fixed position.
In one embodiment, the invention relates to a drop wire clamp for securing and supporting a drop wire having a messenger strand and a support wire extending coextensively over a predetermined path. The clamp has an elongated helical spiral, having at least one coil, defining an elongated channel with a diameter greater than a diameter of the drop wire. The helical spiral has a pitch, minus a width of the coil, greater than the drop wire cable diameter. The clamp also has a means for engaging the support wire comprising of at least one anchor and a means for securing to a support structure.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a drop wire clamp for supporting a drop wire comprising of a rigid segment connected to a malleable segment. The malleable segment comprises of an elongated member capable of conforming around the drop wire to form an elongated helical spiral around the drop wire.
The invention also relates to methods for securing a drop wire comprising placing the drop wire within an elongated channel defined by an elongated helical spiral of a drop wire clamp, securing the support wire to the drop wire clamp and securing the drop wire clamp with secured support wire to a support structure.